Flu vaccine, which is administered to prevent influenza, is not safe for people who are allergic to eggs. This is because flu vaccine consists of egg protein. This can cause an allergic reaction to a person with egg allergy. However, an allergist can decide if it’s safe for a person allergic to eggs to receive a flu shot.
How Flu Vaccine Works?
Flu vaccine is used to prevent the influenza virus from affecting you. Influenza can cause ear infection, bronchitis, and pneumonia. The flu vaccine consists of dead viruses. When flu vaccine is administered, the antibodies are produced in your body. Hence, when the actual virus attacks your body, the antibodies present in your body can fight the virus effectively.
The viruses in the flu vaccine are grown inside the eggs and the vaccine contains egg protein. People who are allergic to eggs can have an allergic reaction when the vaccine is administered.
How to be safe while getting a flu vaccine?
People who are allergic to eggs should inform the doctor about their condition before getting the flu vaccine.
Even if people are allergic to eggs, it may be possible for them to receive the flu vaccine. Under the supervision of an experienced allergist, the flu vaccine is given in small amounts at different periods of time. This process is known as vaccine progressive challenge.
Russian Allergy-free Flu vaccine Research:
Russian vaccine producers are researching on a vaccine which can be free of egg protein. The viruses in this vaccine can be grown in living animal cells rather than egg cells. This vaccine would be suitable for people with egg allergies. However, it may take two or three years to produce this vaccine.
If you have egg allergies, it is not safe to have a flu vaccine. Consulting an allergist to check if you can get a flu vaccine safely will keep you from having an allergic reaction.
